Product use acoustic determination system

ABSTRACT

Methods, systems and apparatus for determining product use by acoustically sensing actuations of product dispensers to determine how much product remains, and, optionally, alert a provider when low product states exist.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure relates to determining use of consumable products,equipment and/or systems through acoustic analyses.

Systems dispensing consumable products are ubiquitous in manyenvironments today. For example, hand towel dispensers are commonplacein many semi-private and public washrooms and break rooms. Monitoringand refilling such dispensers can be a time consuming and laboriousendeavor requiring, in some scenarios, that an attendant or buildingmaintenance team member routinely check the dispensers and refill asneeded. This process inevitably results in checking the dispenser anddetermining that no refill is required, resulting in an unnecessaryvisit to the dispenser, which leads to building managementinefficiencies and additional costs.

This process, including such unnecessary visits, is magnified given thatmany environments include multiple dispensers, for example, one washroommay include numerous hand towel, bath tissue and hand soap dispensers,and that there can be dozens of washrooms in a commercial buildingspread across many different floors.

Some systems have been introduced that remotely monitor dispensers,through RF communications, to determine when the dispensers need to berefilled. However, such systems often require the installation of newdispensers with RF communication capability, which can be an expensiveproposition.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

In general, the subject matter of this specification relates to usingacoustic signals and acoustic analysis to determine product usage indispensers and, more generally, maintenance and use conditions forequipment and devices.

In general, one aspect of the subject matter described in thisspecification can be implemented in systems that include one or moredispensing devices, each dispensing device having a consumable productstorage area and a dispensing mechanism coupled to the product storagearea. Each dispensing device is configured to store a respectiveconsumable product in the product storage area and to dispense theconsumable product through use of the dispensing mechanism to facilitatea hygiene-based process. Actuation of each dispensing device creates anacoustic signal. The systems can also include an acoustic sensing moduleconfigured to sense one or more acoustic signals based on actuation ofthe one or more dispensing devices and to determine, on a per dispensingdevice basis, which of the one or more dispensing devices were actuatedbased on the sensed one or more acoustic signals; and a data collectiondevice configured to communicate with the acoustic sensing module tostore data describing the one or more dispensing devices determined tohave been actuated. Other embodiments of this aspect includecorresponding methods, apparatus, and computer program products.

Yet another aspect of the subject matter described in this specificationcan be implemented in methods that include sensing acoustic signals in awashroom or break room, where each acoustic signal is generated byactuation of a corresponding dispensing device in the washroom and eachacoustic signal is different from each other acoustic signal; inresponse to sensing an acoustic signal, determining which dispensingdevice actuated based on a comparison of the sensed acoustic signal topredetermined acoustic signatures of actuating dispensing devices;determining, for at least one of the dispensing devices, a number ofactuations of the at least one dispensing device; determining, for theat least one of the dispensing devices, whether a use state of aconsumable product in the at least one dispensing device is in adepletion range based on the determined number of actuations; and inresponse to determining the at least one dispensing device is in thedepletion range, generating a depletion alert. Other embodiments of thisaspect include corresponding systems, apparatus, and computer programproducts.

A further aspect of the subject matter described in this specificationcan be implemented in methods that include installing an acousticsensing module in an environment having existing dispensing devices;training the acoustic sensing module to individually identify thedispensing devices based on acoustic signals generated by actuations ofthe dispensing devices; determining numbers of actuations of thedispensing devices based on the training; monitoring the dispensingdevices to determine low consumable product states in the dispensingdevices based on the number of actuations for the dispensing devices;and generating alert messages in response to determined low consumableproduct states. Other embodiments of this aspect include correspondingsystems, apparatus, and computer program products.

In some implementations, the methods, systems, apparatus, and computerprogram products described herein have the following features, includingone or more dispensing devices, where each includes an acoustic signalgenerator to generate the acoustic signal in response to actuation ofthe dispensing mechanism. The acoustic signal is an ultrasonic orsubsonic signal. The acoustic sensing module is configured to generateand transmit a low consumable product alert for a given dispensingdevice based on an analysis of a number of determined actuations for thegiven dispensing device and a number of actuations corresponding to athreshold depletion level of the consumable product.

The acoustic sensing module includes a plurality of acoustic sensorsconfigured to be positioned remote from each other, and where theacoustic sensing module is configured to determine, on a per dispensingdevice basis, which of the one or more dispensing devices were actuatedbased on when in time the sensed one or more acoustic signals werereceived by various of the plurality of acoustic sensors. The acousticsensing module is configured to sense an acoustic signal indicative ofat least one of the dispensing devices opening or closing and to reset anumber of determined actuations for the at least one of the dispensingdevices.

The acoustic sensing module is configured to sense an acoustic signalindicative of at least one of the dispensers actuating withoutdispensing a consumable product, and to generate and transmit an alertin response sensing. The acoustic sensing module is configured to detecta door opening event and only sense the one or more acoustic signalswithin a predetermined time period of the door opening event. Theacoustic sensing module is configured to access acoustic signatures(e.g., from the memory storage device) corresponding to the one or moreacoustic signals and to determine, on a per dispensing device basis,which of the one or more dispensing devices were actuated based on thesensed one or more acoustic signals and the acoustic signatures. Theacoustic sensing module is configured to sense an environmental signaland to determine an actuation of a given dispensing device only inresponse to sensing (i) the acoustic signal for the given dispensingdevice and (ii) the environmental signal within a predetermined timeperiod of each other. The environmental signal is an acoustic signal ofwater running or a door opening.

The acoustic sensing module is configured to sense an acoustic signalindicative of water running and, in response to the acoustic signaloccurring continuously for at least a predetermined duration, generateand transmit a maintenance alert. The one or more dispensing devicesinclude a paper towel dispenser, a bath tissue dispenser or a hand soapdispenser. The consumable product includes paper towels, bath tissue orhand soap

Particular embodiments of the subject matter described in thisspecification can be implemented so as to realize one or more of thefollowing advantages. For example, the status of existing dispensers,including the status of consumable products in the dispensers (e.g.,need to be refilled or at an acceptable level, consumable productremaining), and other equipment or devices in an environment can bemonitored without having to install new dispensers with dedicatedcommunication components and functionality because the technologydescribed herein can monitor existing devices based on their innateacoustics and/or unique acoustic characteristics. Thus the technologydescribed herein does not require a costly change-out of existingdispensers to monitor and manage service conditions including productrefilling and other maintenance events. Further, by using acoustics tomonitor and manage the dispensers and other equipment, complex RF-typecommunication systems can be avoided.

In some implementations, the acoustic system will identify dispenser usebased on unique acoustic signals indicative of dispenser actuation fromsimple acoustic generators added to the dispensers. Such acousticsignals can be selected to be in targeted frequency ranges (e.g., lownoise frequency bands and/or to avoid interference from human speech) toincrease the effectiveness of the acoustic system.

The details of one or more implementations of the subject matterdescribed in this specification are set forth in the accompanyingdrawings and the description below. Other features, aspects, andadvantages of the subject matter will become apparent from thedescription, the drawings, and the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an example environment in which an acousticsensing system can be implemented.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an example acoustic sensing system.

FIGS. 3A and 3B are graphs representing example acoustic signatures.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an example dispensing device.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart of an example process for determining productusage and generating corresponding alerts.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart of an example process for installing an acousticsensing system.

Like reference symbols in the various drawings indicate like elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure relates to determining dispensing device use and,thereby, product consumption based on the acoustics of the dispensingdevice's actuation (e.g., the sounds generated by actuation of thedispensing device to dispense product). For example, a dispensing cycleof a hand towel dispenser provides a predetermined length of hand towelroll to a user. Given this known length and the number of dispenseactuations (e.g., by acoustically sensing the sound of the actuation),the amount of towel roll used and/or remaining in the dispenser can bedetermined. Based on this knowledge, decisions can be made as to whenthe roll will be exhausted and therefore when the dispenser needs to berefilled to avoid an empty state and a user not having access to towels.Knowing the depletion state of the hand towel roll also avoidsunnecessary trips by maintenance personal to physically check the rollstate, e.g., manually checking a dispenser in a washroom.

Such a sensing system operates without need of special dispensers withwired or wireless (e.g., RF or optical) communication systems or othercostly and/or complex communication or notification components. Thisallows the acoustic sensing system, for example, to be installed in anenvironment and operate with existing dispensers that do not havecommunication capability, including without the need to retrofit thedevices with such capability.

Further, the acoustic sensing system can monitor maintenance states orconditions of other equipment or devices in the environment. Forexample, the sensing system can sense the sound of continuous water flowin a washroom as an indicator of a potential running bathroom toilet ora water faucet left on. The acoustic sensing system is described inadditional detail below.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an example environment 100 in which anacoustic sensing system 102 can be implemented. The environment 100 canbe, for example, a semi-private or public washroom or break room oranother space in which dispensers 104 and, optionally, equipment such astoilets 106 and/or sinks 108, are located. The dispensers 104 caninclude, for example, hand towel dispensers 104 a, bath tissuedispensers 104 b, hand soap (or other cleansing) dispensers 104 c, handor facial care dispensers (not pictured), and the like. In someimplementations, all of the dispensers 104 are hygiene-based dispensers,and the acoustic sensing system 102 only monitors dispensers, e.g.,senses dispenser acoustics such as actuation sounds. In someimplementations, the sensing system 102 monitors multiple devices andequipment including dispensers 104, toilets 106 and sinks 108.

In some implementations, the acoustic sensing system 102 includes or isin data communication with one or more acoustic sensors 110 positionedin the environment 100 and remote from the acoustic sensing module 103.Each acoustic sensor 110 is a device that detects surface acoustic(i.e., mechanical) waves/signals in the environment 100. For example, anacoustic sensor 110, such as a microphone or other transducer, candetect the amplitude, phase, and/or frequency of acoustic waves, andchanges therein, and, optionally, generate an electrical signal (orsignals) corresponding to the acoustic wave that can be communicated(e.g., through wireless channels such as BLUETOOTH or WI-FItechnologies) to the acoustic sensing module 103. In turn, acousticsensing module 103, optionally, can process and communicate the acousticinformation to data collection device 112, e.g., through wired orwireless channels or some combination thereof. The data collectiondevice 112 can be local or remote to the acoustic sensing module 103(e.g., in a cloud-based environment). The sensors 110 can be positioned,for example, on the ceiling and/or walls of the environment 100, and canhave a transmitter or transceiver (wireless or wired) to transmit thesensed acoustic signals to the acoustic sensing module 103.

In some implementations, each acoustic sensor 110 is a highlydirectional microphone that is targeted at a specific dispensing device104 or piece of equipment 106, 108 such that the sensor 110 only (orprimarily) picks up sound from that device 104 or equipment 106, 108. Inthis way noises and sounds in the environment 100, other than those fromthe targeted device/equipment, including speech are not sensed by thesystem 102. Reducing the effects from other environmental noises canincrease the effectiveness of the system 102 as only the acousticsignals of interest are targeted for sensing.

In some implementations, the acoustic sensing module 103 locallyprocesses the acoustic signals to determine the occurrence of anenvironmental event, e.g., a particular dispenser actuation, bycomparing the sensed or acquired acoustic signal to known acousticfingerprints or signatures of various dispensing device (and/orequipment) actuations or other events until the acoustic signal ismatched to a known fingerprint. In this way, the acoustic sensing module103 can identify which dispenser actuated and, hence, which consumableproduct was dispensed and used. The operation of the acoustic sensingmodule 103 is described in more detail below with reference to FIG. 2.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an example acoustic sensing module 103.Generally, the acoustic sensing module 103 senses or acquires (e.g.,from the acoustic sensors 110) acoustic signals from devices 104 andequipment 106, 108 in the environment 100 to identify environmentalevents such as, for example, a paper towel dispense, soap dispense,toilet flush and faucet actuation. The sensing module 103 can do thisthrough use of a local acoustic sensor 202, through use of the remoteacoustic sensors 110, or both.

In some implementations, the acoustic sensing module 103 also includes aprocessor 206 (e.g., a data processing apparatus), transceiver 204, anda memory storage device 208. The transceiver 204, at the direction ofthe processor 206, communicates with the acoustic sensors 110 to acquiredata describing the acoustic signals sensed by the sensors 110, forexample, for use in processing the signals against known fingerprints toidentify device actuations or equipment conditions or states (e.g.,running toilet condition that requires maintenance). In someimplementations, the sensors 110 communicate to the transceiver 204periodically (e.g., every five seconds), on an ad hoc basis as signalsare sensed, and/or in response to polling by the acoustic sensing module103. In some implementations, the transceiver 204 communicates with thesensors 110 through a wireless or wired communication channel.

The memory storage device 208 can store programmatic instructions tocontrol the operation of the acoustic sensing module 103 (and/or thesystem 102) as well as store data describing the acoustic signals sensedby the sensors 202, 110. Further, the memory storage device 208 storesacoustic signatures/fingerprints 210, for example, of various soundsindicative of actuation and/or other operational or maintenancecharacteristics of the dispensers 104, equipment 106, 108, theenvironment 100, or a combination thereof. The acoustic sensing system102, for example, uses these signatures 210 to determine and/or forecastdispenser product usage, dispenser product refill needs, and/ordispenser and equipment maintenance states (e.g., needs servicing).

An acoustic signature 210 is a signal particularly (e.g., uniquely orquasi-uniquely) representing a sound (e.g., acoustic wave), for example,from a dispenser 104 or equipment 106, 108. More particularly, anacoustic signature 210 is an acoustic signal that can be discerned fromother acoustic signals (e.g., in the environment 100 or, in someimplementations, more specifically, the washroom) within some confidenceinterval such as 90 or 95 percent. In some implementations, eachrespective acoustic signature 210 represents the sound of a dispenser104 or equipment 106, 108 (e.g., at a point in time or over someduration) operating or in a maintenance condition such as a runningtoilet or faucet or a broken dispenser mechanism. For example, withrespect to a given dispenser 104, an acoustic signature 210 for thatdispenser 104 is the sound of the dispenser 104 actuating (e.g.,dispensing its product).

In some implementations, a given dispenser 104 or piece of equipment106, 108 may have multiple acoustic signatures. For example, a toweldispenser 104 may have an acoustic signature for dispensing a towel, anacoustic signature for dispensing without providing a towel (e.g., thedispenser is empty), an acoustic signature for a common failure in thedispenser mechanism, an acoustic signature for opening the dispenser(e.g., to refill), and an acoustic signature for closing the dispenser(e.g., after a refill). An acoustic signature 210 can be a point in timerepresentation of a sound or a representation capturing some duration ofthe sound (e.g., 1, 5, 10 or 20 seconds). In some implementations, anacoustic signature is bounded to a predetermined frequency, time, and/oramplitude range.

Each signature 210 can be, for example, visually described through agraph. Such a graph can include a horizontal axis representing time, avertical axis representing frequency and a third dimension representingthe amplitude of a given frequency at a particular point in time (e.g.,as shown by an intensity or color of each point in the graph). FIGS. 3Aand 3B are graphs (e.g., spectrograms) representing example acousticsignatures 210. More specifically, these figures are two-dimensionalgraphs representing acoustic signatures 210. FIG. 3A is a graph 302 ofan acoustic signature 210 a showing time on the horizontal axis 304 andfrequency on the vertical axis 306 and represents, for example, a toweldispenser 104 dispensing a paper towel. FIG. 3B is a graph 304 of anacoustic signature 210 b showing time on the horizontal axis 308 andfrequency on the vertical axis 310 and represents, for example, a bathtissue dispenser 104 dispensing bath tissue (e.g., through a manual pullof the bath tissue).

In some implementations, the acoustic signatures 210 are generated by anin-situ environmental process. For example, for a particular environment100, environmental event sounds (e.g., operation and maintenanceconditions) of the dispensers 104 and equipment 106, 108 are recorded toaccount for the acoustics of the environment 100, noise fromenvironmental events of other devices in the environment 100, noise fromspeech (which can be filtered out before processing), and/or otherbackground noises. In some implementations, the acoustic signatures 210are generated under controlled conditions to capture only the soundcorresponding to the signature 210. For example, for an acousticsignature 210 for a dispenser 104 dispensing a towel, only (orprimarily) the sound from the dispensing process is captured in thesignature 210. This acoustic generation process can be performed priorto deploying the acoustic sensing system 102 in the environment 100,during or after the deployment process, or some combination thereof, andstored in memory 208.

In some implementations, the system 102 can provide reconfigurationinstructions to the module 103, dispensers 104, and/or sensors 110 (orother parts of the system 102) to change the operation or state of themodule 103, dispensers 104 and/or sensors 110. For example, suchinstructions can be firmware updates to change the function and/orperformance of the module 103, instructions to reset the module 103 to abase state, change operating parameters of the dispensers 104 (e.g.,reset product usage counters), and poll the module 103, dispensers 104and/or sensors 110 to request data describing the state or status of themodule 103, dispensers 104 and/or sensors 110.

FIG. 4 is a representation of an example dispensing device 104. Adispensing device 104 includes, for example, a hand towel dispenser,bath tissue dispenser, hand soap dispensers, a hand or facial caredispenser (e.g., a moisturizer dispenser), air freshener, odorsterilization device, to name a few. In some implementations, thedispensing device 104 includes a consumable product storage area 402 anda dispensing mechanism 404 operatively coupled to the product storagearea 402 to dispense the product to facilitate a hygiene-based process(e.g., hand washing, drying or moisturizing, odor sterilization ormitigation (for example, through an air freshener), or otherenvironmental hygiene events). The consumable product storage area 402is an area (e.g., cavity or opening) in which the productto-be-dispensed (e.g., consumable product) by the dispensing device 104is located and/or stored for use. The consumable product storage area402 can be completely or only partially enclosed within the dispensingdevice 104. The dispensing mechanism 404 is a mechanism that facilitatesdispensing of the consumable product for use by a use. In someimplementations, the dispensing mechanism 404 and the consumable productstorage area 402 can be combined within the dispensing device 104.

In some implementations, the dispensing mechanism 404 is a device thatallows a user to manually dispense the consumable product, e.g., bypulling on a portion of the consumable product or turning a twist dialor knob to cause a dispense operation/actuation. In someimplementations, the dispensing mechanism 404 is an automated (e.g.,electro-mechanical) device that advances or otherwise dispenses or aidsin the dispensing of the consumable product. For example, in response toa slight tug on a paper towel partially exposed from beneath thedispensing device 104 or in response to detecting motion proximate thedispensing device 104 (e.g., through an infrared motion sensor), thedispensing mechanism 404 actuates to automatically advance or otherwisedispense the consumable product to the user. In the case of a hand soapdispenser, for example, the dispensing mechanism 404 may be a manual orpower operated pump-type device. Regardless of whether the actuation ofthe dispenser mechanism 404 is manual or automated (or partiallyautomated), the actuation creates an acoustic signal 210 or signature(e.g., sound), that as discussed above, can be used to identify or helpidentify a dispensing operation.

In some implementations, the dispensing device 104 includes an acousticsignal generator 406 to generate an acoustic signal 210 in response toactuation of the dispensing mechanism 404. For example, the acousticgenerator 406 can be a device that senses or is triggered by actuationof the dispensing mechanism (or consumable product movement), and, inresponse, generates a tuned acoustic signal 210 for sensing by thesystem 102. Such a tuned acoustic signal 210 can be a specific chirp orbeep or other sound, e.g., waveform in a particular frequency range,that is expected to be unique (or uncommon or otherwise promoteidentification) in the environment 100 to aid identification of thesound.

In some implementations, the acoustic signal generator 406 is, forexample, a mechanical device or an electromechanical device that isactuated or triggered by physical movement associated with thedispensing device 104 (e.g., from the dispensing mechanism 404 orconsumable product). For example, the acoustic signal generator 406 is aresilient member (e.g., metallic tab or finger) that slides across orotherwise engages the dispenser mechanism 404 as it actuates (orcontacts the consumable) to help create the acoustic signal. By way ofanother example, the acoustic signal generator 406 is an electronic toneor sound generator device that is triggered to emit a particularly soundby physical movement of dispensing mechanism 404 or consumable product.

The acoustic signal generator 406 can be retrofit to existing dispensers104 and equipment 106, 108 in an environment 100, or included in newdispensers 104 and equipment 106, 108. As mentioned above, each acousticsignal generator for each respective dispensing device 104/equipment106, 108 can be configured to emit a sound/acoustic wave that can beused to particularly identify its dispensing device 104/equipment 106,108. For example, the acoustic signal generators 406 for device X,equipment Y and device Z, respectively, can generate a tone at 25,000Hertz at a constant amplitude for two seconds, a time varying frequencysignal with a time varying amplitude for three seconds, and a 2 Hertz(subsonic) signal for 5 seconds.

In some implementations, the acoustic signal generator 406 is aprogrammable sound generator (e.g., based on Field Programmable GateArray integrated circuit). Regardless of the particular implementationof the acoustic signal generator 406, the sound can be generated suchthat it can be easily filtered or otherwise separated from human speech(e.g., by selecting an acoustic waveform that is different fromwaveforms typically associated with human speech), limited to certainfrequency ranges (e.g., ultrasonic and/or subsonic), and/or promotesidentification from other environmental sounds from other devices 104and equipment 106, 108. In this way, in some implementations, undesirednoise, e.g., speech, does not make it into the system 102 because it isfiltered out before any processing is performed.

As described above, in some implementations, an acoustic signalgenerator 406 can be coupled to a piece of equipment 106, 108. Forexample, with respect to a water faucet, the acoustic signal generator406 can be an impeller-based device that couples to the faucet outletand spins in response to water flow. The sound of the impeller spinningcan be the acoustic sound or the spinning impeller can power anelectrical or electromechanical component to generate the acousticsound. In some implementations, if the acoustic sensing module 103senses the acoustics from the impeller for a period of time that exceedsa predetermined threshold (e.g., fifty percent longer than a typicalhand washing process), the acoustic sensing module 103 can indicate amaintenance condition is occurring (and generate a maintenance alert)such as a faucet left on or a leaking faucet.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart of an example process 500 for determining productusage and generating corresponding alerts. The system 102 can, forexample, perform the steps described with reference to FIG. 5.

Acoustic signals in a washroom are sensed (502). For example, theacoustic sensing module 103 can sense acoustic signals. Each acousticsignal (e.g., sound) is generated by actuation of a correspondingdispensing device 104 in the washroom, whether through sounds naturallyproduced by the device 104 or through an acoustic signal generator 406.In some implementations, each acoustic signal 210 is different from eachother acoustic signal 210, for example, to promote individualidentification of the acoustic signals.

In response to sensing an acoustic signal, determining which dispensingdevice actuated based on a comparison of the sensed acoustic signal topredetermined acoustic signatures of actuating dispensing devices (504).In some implementations, the acoustic sensing module 103 determineswhich dispensing devices 104 actuated by sensing any acoustic signals210 from the devices 104, whether through sensor 202 and/or sensors 110,and comparing those signals 210 with the signatures stored in memory 208to look for matches. A match, for example, can be a similaritydetermination between the sensed and stored signature within somepredefined range or above a predefined threshold, e.g., above 80 percentsimilarity between the signals and signature. Such a determination canbe made through use of, for example, pattern matching algorithms ortechniques, principal component analysis, feature vector analysis,Hidden Markov Model analysis, and/or the like.

In some implementations, the matching and other processing steps can behandled remotely by cloud or offsite systems, where the acoustic sensingmodule 103 acts as a router or link in the communication chain to suchcloud or offsite systems. Further, such cloud or offsite systems canprocess data from multiple environments 100 in a building (e.g., eachenvironment 100 or building serviced by a respective system 102 and/ormodule 103) and/or multiple environments 100 in multiple buildings orcampuses (e.g., each environment 100 or building serviced by arespective system 102 and/or module 103). In this way the cloud oroffsite systems can analyze the data to discern holistic informationacross multiple environments 100. In some implementations, each acousticsensor 110 includes functionality to match the sensed acoustic signalsto the corresponding known acoustic signatures and transmit datadescribing the match to the acoustic sensing module 103.

For at least one of the dispensing devices, a number of actuations ofthe at least one dispensing device is determined (506). In someimplementations, the acoustic sensing module 103 determines thenumber(s) of actuations of the dispensing device 104. For example, theacoustic sensing module 103 determines the number of actuations of adispensing device 104 (or a piece of equipment 106, 108) by counting thenumber of actuations of the dispensing device 104 (or a piece ofequipment 106, 108) over a given period, for example, since the lastrefill for the dispensing device 104. For each dispensing device 104,the event of a sensed actuation can be stored in the memory 208 as afunction of time or simply a running total that can be rest after arefill. The memory 208 can be manually reset by a custodian after arefill event or the sensing module 103 can sense the acoustic signal(s)indicative of the opening and/or closing of the dispensing device 104,e.g., opening or closing a lid to access the product storage area for arefill, as a trigger to reset the actuation counter to a base state suchas zero. As described above, this step can be performed by a cloud oroffsite system.

In some implementations, the acoustic sensing module 103 determines, ona per dispensing device basis, which of the dispensing devices wasactuated based on when in time acoustic signals were received and/orsensed by various of the differently located acoustic sensors. Withreference to FIG. 1, there may be multiple of the same dispensing device104 (e.g., 104 a) and equipment (e.g., 106). In some implementations,these multiple devices may generate the same or similar actuation sounds(e.g., acoustic signals). To differentiate and specifically identifywhich device 104 actuated, the sensors 110 record not only that aparticular acoustic signal was sensed but also the time at which it wassensed. In this way the acoustic sensing module 103 processes this datafrom the sensors 110 and through techniques such as triangulation andtime of flight calculations determines which dispensing device 104actuated.

By way of an example, assume sensor 110 c is closest to dispensingdevice 104 ax and that dispensing device 104 ax actuated and emitted, asa point source (and discounting effects such as echoes and scattering),an acoustic signal that was sensed by all sensors 110. Based on thesensed data received from the sensors 110, the acoustic sensing module103 can determine that sensor 110 c sensed the acoustic signal first intime. In turn, the acoustic sensing module 103 can determine, based on apre-programmatically defined map of (and/or a logic chart for) theenvironment 100, including, for example, spatial orientation andpositioning of the various dispensing devices 104, sensors 110, andequipment 106, 108, that sensor 110 c is closest to dispensing device104 ax. Thus, based on the layout of dispensing devices 104 in theenvironment 100, and that sensor 110 c sensed the signal before anyother sensors 110, the acoustic sensing module 103 can determine thatthe acoustic signal came from dispensing device 104 ax. For thisdetermination, for example, a logic chart for the environment 100, e.g.,stored in memory 208, may include logic to reflect the following: Ifsensor 110 c sensed first in time, then dispensing device=dispensingdevice 104 ax.

In some implementations, to more specifically account for the acousticeffects from the environment 100, e.g., echoes, background noises,sounds from other devices/equipment, constructive/destructiveinterference, in determining which device 104 actuated (or piece ofequipment 106, 108 generated an acoustic signal) an acoustic study maybe conducted and used to define the environmental or logic map used bythe acoustic sensing module 103.

For at least one of the dispensing devices, determining whether a usestate of a consumable product in the at least one dispensing device isin a depletion range based on the determined number of actuations (508).In some implementations, this step can be performed by a cloud oroffsite system. In some implementations, the acoustic sensing module 103determines whether a use state of a consumable product in the dispensingdevice 104 is in a depletion range based on the number of dispensingactuations for the device 104. For example, the memory 208 includes, foreach type of dispensing device 104 in the environment 100 and each typeof consumable product compatible with the dispensing device 104, a tableof the number of actuations for each dispensing device/consumableproduct combination (e.g., from a full state) until the consumableproduct is in a depletion range such that the product should bereplaced/the dispensing device 104 should be refilled.

In this way, in some implementations, the acoustic sensing module 103generates and transmits a low consumable product alert for a givendispensing device 104 based on an analysis of a number of determined(e.g., sensed) actuations for the given dispensing device 104 and anumber of actuations corresponding to a threshold depletion level orthreshold range of the consumable product. Table 1 shows an exampledepletion threshold/range table stored in the memory 208:

TABLE 1 Product 1 Product 2 Product 3 Dispensing Device A 200 Actuations300 Actuations Dispensing Device B 200 Actuations Dispensing Device C250 Actuations

Table 1 shows that Product 1 (e.g., a small hand towel roll) iscompatible with Dispensing Devices A and B and, for each, the depletionrange will be reached after 200 actuations. Product 2 (e.g., a largerhand towel roll) is only compatible with Dispensing Device B and thedepletion range will be reached after 300 actuations. Lastly, Product 3(e.g., a liquid hand cleaner container) is only compatible withDispensing Device C and the depletion range will be reached after 250actuations. For example, the number of actuations in Table 1 can be setsuch that ten percent of the product remains after reaching the listeddepletion range so that Product 1 will be fully depleted (e.g.,Dispenser Devices A and B will be empty) at 220 actuations, Product 2will be fully depleted (e.g., Dispenser Device A will be empty) at 330actuations, and Product 3 will be fully depleted (e.g., Dispenser DeviceC will be empty) at 275 actuations.

The depletion range for a dispenser device/consumable product is a statein which the amount of consumable product left is below a thresholdamount, as compared to its full amount (e.g., its pre-use amount). Forexample, the depletion range can be when less than twenty, ten, or fivepercent of the full amount is available to be dispensed in the device104. The depletion range can be selected with the maintenance schedulefor the environment 100 known to prevent or reduce the likelihood of thedispensing device 104 from running out of product before the nextmaintenance visit. Or the dispensing device 104 entering a depletionrange can be a trigger to an alert to the maintenance system/personnelthat a refill is needed, as described below.

The depletion range, by way of example for a hand towel roll, can bedetermined based on the starting length of the hand towel roll and thelength of roll dispensed during a dispensing process. For example, for ahand towel roll with a starting length of 500 feet and a dispense lengthof ten inches during each actuation, the number of actuations tocompletely exhaust the roll is 600 ((500 feet*12 inches/per foot)/10inches). The depletion range can be set such that it occurs with apredetermined amount of towel remaining, for example, at 550 actuationsso that 50 actuations remain to allow time and opportunity to refill thedispensing device 104.

In response to determining the at least one dispensing device is in thedepletion range, generate a depletion alert (510). In someimplementations, the acoustic sensing module 103 determines a dispensingdevice 104 is in the depletion range and, in response, generates adepletion alert. For example, as described above, the acoustic sensingmodule 103 generates and sends, based on preprogrammed instructions, atext or instant message communication to environment maintenancepersonnel or sends, e.g., via LAN or WAN, an alert condition to a dataprocessing apparatus, which, in response, can present such an alertcondition to a user through a user interface, e.g., a graphical userinterface/dashboard, and/or can create (and/or send) servicing messagesto environment maintenance personnel for action. In someimplementations, the depletion alert is generated based on a templatestored in memory 208. For example, the alert may state: “Mr.Smith—Dispenser XYZ on the fourth floor of Big Building needs to berefilled.”

In some implementations, the acoustic sensing module 103 can generatepredictions of when each of the dispensers will reach the depletionrange and/or be completely empty. For example, the acoustic sensingmodule 103 can predict, e.g., through time-series algorithms and thelike, product depletion based on known amounts of the product remainingat various times, e.g., the time-rate of use/depletion. From thisinformation the acoustic sensing module 103 can generate and transmitalerts to notify appropriate personnel of the expected depletion date.For example, if the acoustic sensing module 103 recorded a full productstate on Jan. 1, 2015 (e.g., just after a refill), a 75% product state,i.e., 75% of the product remaining, on Feb. 1, 2015, a 50% productstate, on Mar. 3, 2015, and a 25% product state on Mar. 1, 2015, thenthrough, for example, curve fitting and/or extrapolation, the acousticsensing module 103 can forecast that the product will be fully depletedon Apr. 1, 2015, and send an alert accordingly.

In some implementations, the acoustic sensing module 103 can sense anacoustic signal indicative of a dispensing device 104 actuating withoutdispensing a consumable product, and, in turn, generate and transmit analert to have the product refilled. For example, in addition oralternative to the determining a product refill is needed based onactuation counts, the acoustic sensing module 103 can sense an acousticsignal indicative of a dispensing device 104 trying to dispense withoutany product remaining (e.g., it is empty). Upon such an event, theacoustic sensing module 103 can generate and transmit a low consumableproduct alert or an emergency refill message indicating that thedispensing device 104 is empty.

In some implementations, the acoustic sensing module 103 uses multipleacoustic signals to determine if an environmental event or signal hasoccurred, e.g., an actuation or maintenance condition. For example, theacoustic sensing module 103 only records that an actuation has occurredif such actuation occurs within a predetermined time from an earlierenvironmental signal such as, for example, a door opening indicating anoccupant is in the environment 100. Or, for example, the acousticsensing module 103 only records that a hand towel dispensing device 104actuation occurred if such actuation happens within a predetermined timeperiod from the sensing of an environmental signal indicative of afaucet running, e.g., indicating an occupant is washing her hands—as itwould logically follow that the occupant then needs to dry her hands.Such conditional actuation recording/determination can reduce the numberof false actuation determinations by the system 102 by requiring asequence of events to occur in a given time period before determiningand/or recording an actuation (or other environmental event) occurred.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart of an example process 600 for installing anacoustic sensing system. For example, process 600 can be used to installsystem 102.

An acoustic sensing module is installed in an environment havingexisting dispensing devices (602). For example, the acoustic sensingmodule 103 is installed in a washroom having dispensing devices 104installed months or years ago, e.g., devices 104 not designed forspecific use with the acoustic sensing module 103. In someimplementations, the acoustic sensing module 103 is installed on theceiling or walls of the environment 100 and is powered through theenvironment's power infrastructure, batteries, or a combination thereof.In some implementations, acoustic sensors 110 are also installed in theenvironment 100 and configured to communicate and work with the acousticsensing module 103. As described above, the installation process mayinvolve creating (and storing in memory 208) a map of the environment100 or a logic chart for use by the module 103 in determining actuationsand other environments sounds/signals.

The acoustic sensing module is trained to individually identify thedispensing devices based on acoustic signals generated by actuations ofthe dispensing devices (604). For example, in some implementations, theacoustic sensing module 103 is seeded with known signaturescorresponding to operational sounds of the dispensers 104 and equipment106, 108, and trained in the environment 100 or through computermodeling (e.g., neural network, regression, k-nearest neighbor, Bayesiannetworks and/or clustering techniques) to identify the acoustic signalsof the dispensers 104 and equipment 106, 108, and account for noise fromother devices in the environmental 100, noise from speech (which can befiltered out before processing), and/or other background or unwantedsounds.

The numbers of actuations of the dispensing devices are determined basedon the training (606). For example, after installation and training, theacoustic sensing module 103 determines, as described above, the numbersof actuations of the various dispensing devices 104. In someimplementations, the acoustic sensing module 103 additionally, oralternatively, identifies other operating conditions in the environment100, for example, maintenance conditions for equipment 106, 108 such asrunning toilets and faucets.

The dispensing devices are monitored to determine low consumable productstates for the dispensing devices based on the numbers of actuations forthe dispensing devices (608). The acoustic sensing module 103 can, forexample, as described above, monitor the devices 104 to determine lowconsumable product states.

Alert messages are generated in response to determined low consumableproduct states (610). The acoustic sensing module 103 can, for example,as described above, generate alert messages in response to determinedlow consumable product states.

Implementations of the subject matter and the operations described inthis specification can be implemented in digital electronic circuitry,or in computer software, firmware, or hardware, including the structuresdisclosed in this specification and their structural equivalents, or incombinations of one or more of them. Implementations of the subjectmatter described in this specification can be implemented as one or morecomputer programs, i.e., one or more modules of computer programinstructions, encoded on computer storage medium for execution by, or tocontrol the operation of, data processing apparatus. Alternatively or inaddition, the program instructions can be encoded on anartificially-generated propagated signal, e.g., a machine-generatedelectrical, optical, or electromagnetic signal, that is generated toencode information for transmission to suitable receiver apparatus forexecution by a data processing apparatus.

A computer storage medium can be, or be included in, a computer-readablestorage device, a computer-readable storage substrate, a random orserial access memory array or device, or a combination of one or more ofthem. Moreover, while a computer storage medium is not a propagatedsignal, a computer storage medium can be a source or destination ofcomputer program instructions encoded in an artificially-generatedpropagated signal. The computer storage medium can also be, or beincluded in, one or more separate physical components or media (e.g.,multiple CDs, disks, or other storage devices).

The operations described in this specification can be implemented asoperations performed by a data processing apparatus on data stored onone or more computer-readable storage devices or received from othersources.

The term “data processing apparatus” encompasses all kinds of apparatus,devices, and machines for processing data, including by way of example aprogrammable processor, a computer, a system on a chip, or multipleones, or combinations, of the foregoing The apparatus can includespecial purpose logic circuitry, e.g., an FPGA (field programmable gatearray) or an ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit). Theapparatus can also include, in addition to hardware, code that createsan execution environment for the computer program in question, e.g.,code that constitutes processor firmware, a protocol stack, a databasemanagement system, an operating system, a cross-platform runtimeenvironment, a virtual machine, or a combination of one or more of them.The apparatus and execution environment can realize various differentcomputing model infrastructures, such as web services, distributedcomputing and grid computing infrastructures.

A computer program (also known as a program, software, softwareapplication, script, or code) can be written in any form of programminglanguage, including compiled or interpreted languages, declarative orprocedural languages, and it can be deployed in any form, including as astand-alone program or as a module, component, subroutine, object, orother unit suitable for use in a computing environment. A computerprogram may, but need not, correspond to a file in a file system. Aprogram can be stored in a portion of a file that holds other programsor data (e.g., one or more scripts stored in a markup languagedocument), in a single file dedicated to the program in question, or inmultiple coordinated files (e.g., files that store one or more modules,sub-programs, or portions of code). A computer program can be deployedto be executed on one computer or on multiple computers that are locatedat one site or distributed across multiple sites and interconnected by acommunication network.

The processes and logic flows described in this specification can beperformed by one or more programmable processors executing one or morecomputer programs to perform actions by operating on input data andgenerating output. The processes and logic flows can also be performedby, and apparatus can also be implemented as, special purpose logiccircuitry, e.g., an FPGA (field programmable gate array) or an ASIC(application-specific integrated circuit).

Processors suitable for the execution of a computer program include, byway of example, both general and special purpose microprocessors, andany one or more processors of any kind of digital computer. Generally, aprocessor will receive instructions and data from a read-only memory ora random access memory or both. The essential elements of a computer area processor for performing actions in accordance with instructions andone or more memory devices for storing instructions and data. Generally,a computer will also include, or be operatively coupled to receive datafrom or transfer data to, or both, one or more mass storage devices forstoring data, e.g., magnetic, magneto-optical disks, or optical disks.However, a computer need not have such devices. Moreover, a computer canbe embedded in another device, e.g., a mobile telephone, a personaldigital assistant (PDA), a mobile audio or video player, a game console,a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver, or a portable storage device(e.g., a universal serial bus (USB) flash drive), to name just a few.Devices suitable for storing computer program instructions and datainclude all forms of non-volatile memory, media and memory devices,including by way of example semiconductor memory devices, e.g., EPROM,EEPROM, and flash memory devices; magnetic disks, e.g., internal harddisks or removable disks; magneto-optical disks; and CD-ROM and DVD-ROMdisks. The processor and the memory can be supplemented by, orincorporated in, special purpose logic circuitry.

Implementations of the subject matter described in this specificationcan be implemented in a computing system that includes a back-endcomponent, e.g., as a data server, or that includes a middlewarecomponent, e.g., an application server, or that includes a front-endcomponent, e.g., a client computer having a graphical user interface ora Web browser through which a user can interact with an implementationof the subject matter described in this specification, or anycombination of one or more such back-end, middleware, or front-endcomponents. The components of the system can be interconnected by anyform or medium of digital data communication, e.g., a communicationnetwork. Examples of communication networks include a local area network(“LAN”) and a wide area network (“WAN”), an inter-network (e.g., theInternet), and peer-to-peer networks (e.g., ad hoc peer-to-peernetworks).

The computing system can include clients and servers. A client andserver are generally remote from each other and typically interactthrough a communication network. The relationship of client and serverarises by virtue of computer programs running on the respectivecomputers and having a client-server relationship to each other. In someembodiments, a server transmits data (e.g., an HTML page) to a usercomputer (e.g., for purposes of displaying data to and receiving userinput from a user interacting with the user computer). Data generated atthe user computer (e.g., a result of the user interaction) can bereceived from the user computer at the server.

While this specification contains many specific implementation details,these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of anyinventions or of what may be claimed, but rather as descriptions offeatures specific to particular embodiments of particular inventions.Certain features that are described in this specification in the contextof separate embodiments can also be implemented in combination in asingle embodiment. Conversely, various features that are described inthe context of a single embodiment can also be implemented in multipleembodiments separately or in any suitable subcombination. Moreover,although features may be described above as acting in certaincombinations and even initially claimed as such, one or more featuresfrom a claimed combination can in some cases be excised from thecombination, and the claimed combination may be directed to asubcombination or variation of a subcombination.

Similarly, while operations are depicted in the drawings in a particularorder, this should not be understood as requiring that such operationsbe performed in the particular order shown or in sequential order, orthat all illustrated operations be performed, to achieve desirableresults. In certain circumstances, multitasking and parallel processingmay be advantageous. Moreover, the separation of various systemcomponents in the embodiments described above should not be understoodas requiring such separation in all embodiments, and it should beunderstood that the described program components and systems cangenerally be integrated together in a single software product orpackaged into multiple software products.

This written description does not limit the invention to the preciseterms set forth. Thus, while the invention has been described in detailwith reference to the examples set forth above, those of ordinary skillin the art may effect alterations, modifications and variations to theexamples without departing from the scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system comprising: one or more dispensingdevices in an environment, each dispensing device having a consumableproduct storage area and a dispensing mechanism operatively coupled tothe product storage area, wherein each dispensing device is configuredto store a respective consumable product in the product storage area andto dispense the consumable product through use of the dispensingmechanism to facilitate a hygiene-based process, and wherein actuationof each dispensing device creates an acoustic signal; an acousticsensing module configured to sense one or more acoustic signals based onactuation of the one or more dispensing devices, to access acousticsignatures corresponding to the one or more acoustic signals and todetermine, on a per dispensing device basis, which of the one or moredispensing devices were actuated based on the sensed one or moreacoustic signals and the acoustic signatures; and a data collectiondevice configured to communicate with the acoustic sensing module tostore data describing the one or more dispensing devices determined tohave been actuated; and wherein the acoustic sensing module isconfigured to sense an acoustic signal indicative of at least one of thedispensing devices opening or closing and to reset a number ofdetermined actuations for the at least one of the dispensing device. 2.The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more dispensing devices eachcomprise an acoustic signal generator to generate the acoustic signal inresponse to actuation of the dispensing mechanism.
 3. The system ofclaim 2, wherein the acoustic signal is an ultrasonic or subsonicsignal.
 4. The system of claim 1, wherein the acoustic sensing module isconfigured to generate and transmit a low consumable product alert for agiven dispensing device based on an analysis of a number of determinedactuations for the given dispensing device and a number of actuationscorresponding to a threshold depletion level of the consumable productof the given dispensing device.
 5. The system of claim 1 furthercomprising a plurality of acoustic sensors configured to be positionedremote from each other, and wherein the acoustic sensing module isconfigured to determine, on a per dispensing device basis, which of theone or more dispensing devices were actuated based on when in time thesensed one or more acoustic signals were received by various of theplurality of acoustic sensors.
 6. The system of claim 1, wherein theacoustic sensing module is configured to detect a door opening event andonly sense the one or more acoustic signals within a predetermined timeperiod of the door opening event.
 7. The system of claim 1, wherein theacoustic sensing module is configured to sense an environmental signaland to determine an actuation of a given dispensing device only inresponse to sensing (i) the acoustic signal for the given dispensingdevice and (ii) the environmental signal within a predetermined timeperiod of each other.
 8. The system of claim 7, wherein theenvironmental signal is an acoustic signal of water running or a dooropening.
 9. The system of claim 1, wherein the acoustic sensing moduleis configured to sense an acoustic signal indicative of water runningand, in response to the acoustic signal occurring continuously for atleast a predetermined duration, generate and transmit a maintenancealert.
 10. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more dispensingdevices comprise a paper towel dispenser, a bath tissue dispenser or ahand soap dispenser.
 11. The system of claim 1, wherein the consumableproduct comprises paper towels, bath tissue or hand soap.
 12. A systemcomprising: one or more dispensing devices in an environment, eachdispensing device having a consumable product storage area and adispensing mechanism operatively coupled to the product storage area,wherein each dispensing device is configured to store a respectiveconsumable product in the product storage area and to dispense theconsumable product through use of the dispensing mechanism to facilitatea hygiene-based process, and wherein actuation of each dispensing devicecreates an acoustic signal; an acoustic sensing module configured tosense one or more acoustic signals based on actuation of the one or moredispensing devices, to access acoustic signatures corresponding to theone or more acoustic signals and to determine, on a per dispensingdevice basis, which of the one or more dispensing devices were actuatedbased on the sensed one or more acoustic signals and the acousticsignatures; and a data collection device configured to communicate withthe acoustic sensing module to store data describing the one or moredispensing devices determined to have been actuated; and wherein theacoustic sensing module is configured to sense an acoustic signalindicative of at least one of the dispensing device actuating withoutdispensing a consumable product, and to generate and transmit an alertin response sensing.
 13. The system of claim 12, wherein the one or moredispensing devices each comprise an acoustic signal generator togenerate the acoustic signal in response to actuation of the dispensingmechanism.
 14. The system of claim 12, wherein the acoustic signal is anultrasonic or subsonic signal.
 15. The system of claim 12, wherein theacoustic sensing module is configured to detect a door opening event andonly sense the one or more acoustic signals within a predetermined timeperiod of the door opening event.
 16. The system of claim 12, whereinthe acoustic sensing module is configured to sense an environmentalsignal and to determine an actuation of a given dispensing device onlyin response to sensing (i) the acoustic signal for the given dispensingdevice and (ii) the environmental signal within a predetermined timeperiod of each other.
 17. The system of claim 16, wherein theenvironmental signal is an acoustic signal of water running or a dooropening.
 18. The system of claim 12 wherein the acoustic sensing moduleis configured to sense an acoustic signal indicative of water runningand, in response to the acoustic signal occurring continuously for atleast a predetermined duration, generate and transmit a maintenancealert.
 19. The system of claim 12, wherein the one or more dispensingdevices comprise a paper towel dispenser, a bath tissue dispenser or ahand soap dispenser.